Three California Peace and Freedom Party Members Announce 2026 Statewide Campaigns

Three Peace and Freedom Party members have announced campaigns for statewide office in California’s 2026 general election, seeking the offices of governor, superintendent of public instruction, and insurance commissioner.

In separate campaign launches, all of which were timed to coincide with the Juneteenth holiday, Ramsey Robinson, Frank Lara, and Eduardo “Lalo” Vargas declared their candidacies. Robinson is running for governor, Lara for superintendent of public instruction, and Vargas for insurance commissioner.

According to his campaign biography, Robinson is a mental health social worker and socialist organizer involved with several labor and community-action groups, including local chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America and the California Poor People’s Campaign. He also said he helped organize the 2024 National Shut ’Em Down Campaigns, a series of coordinated demonstrations opposing mass incarceration and racialized state violence.

Lara is a public middle school teacher and immigration advocate. He serves as a vice president of the United Educators of San Francisco and sits on the California Teachers Association’s Financing Public Education Committee. Lara also said he was involved in the campaign for California’s Proposition 58, which overturned restrictions on bilingual education.

Vargas, a former firefighter who is also a public school teacher, has worked in emergency medical services and is active in union-based and community-centered outreach efforts. He positions himself as a lifelong Californian from a working-class family and a member of United Teachers Los Angeles.

All three are running as Peace and Freedom Party candidates and are also members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Lara and Vargas have also previously run for office in California.

Editorial note: With thanks to reader Joshua Fauver for announcement details.